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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29206152">Twin Size Mattress</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueberrykid3/pseuds/Blueberry'>Blueberry (blueberrykid3)</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueberrykid3/pseuds/blueberrykid3'>blueberrykid3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>mcyt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Night Terrors, Panic Attacks, Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Suicide, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Trauma, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:40:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,675</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29206152</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueberrykid3/pseuds/Blueberry, https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueberrykid3/pseuds/blueberrykid3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy's parents died when he was only nine and has been in the system for roughly 7 years. It was the same repetitive cycle of another bullshit foster family, all of them different but the same in a eye roll worthy way. It isn't until a man named Phil brought him into his home with his two sons that that cycle would finally break.</p><p> </p><p>PLEASE READ THE TAGS BEFORE READING AND STAY SAFE YALL &lt;333</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>138</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A "New Beginning"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>vent fic go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr</p><p>ayo, link to my other shit https://mrblueberry.carrd.co/</p><p> </p><p>This fic is now discontinued (atm) because I have lost complete motivation motivation for it</p><p>Will I ever return to it, idk, it depends<br/>I've started to fall out of the mcyt fandom recently so this fic might forever stay untouched <br/>But still idk</p><p>Thank you for all of the nice comments, y'all are literally the best uueueueueuue </p><p>Hope y'all are all doing okay and keep vibin</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>vent fic go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr</p><p>ayo, link to my other shit https://mrblueberry.carrd.co/</p><p> </p><p>This fic is now discontinued as I have lost motivation for it a while ago</p><p>I might continue it at one point but most likely not</p><p>Thank you all for the nice comments I I literally love you all ueueueueuue</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'It's too early for this shit..'</p><p>The blonde thought to himself as he rubbed his sore forehead. He had woken up to a loud knocking at his door and had sat up too quickly only to be met with a bar of metal from the bed frame colliding with his forehead. </p><p>The knocking came again and he groaned from annoyance.</p><p>"I'M AWAKE!!" </p><p>The knocking stopped abruptly. He let out an annoyed sigh before standing up from the shit excuse of a bed he had in the mellow looking room and stretched his tired body awake before going to open the door. </p><p>Outside stood a short, stern looking woman. Her hair was tangled and frizzy and her eyes sparked a sharp charcoal that could cut diamonds by chance you pissed her off. Despite this, the boy didn't seem phased by her mean looking appearance. </p><p>"I- why aren't you dressed?!" She had started saying something but cut herself off when she saw that his bed-headed hair and still in what could be considered pajamas, but really isn’t, clothing. </p><p>"Wh-" He was about to retort when suddenly remembering why she was here so early.</p><p>'Fuck, I forgot about the Phil guy or whatever the hell his name was' He thought to himself slightly embarrassed.</p><p>He shrugged it off, pulling an 'I don't care' expression on his face. </p><p>The woman inhaled sharply as if she was holding back yelling at the kid before letting it out again and pinching the bridge of her nose. </p><p>"Okay, Tommy, go get dressed and packed and meet me in my office in five minutes. No more than that." </p><p>She said to him, an edge to her tone as she tried to keep herself calm and collected before walking down the old-as-hell hallway to the main staircase. </p><p>Tommy watched her walk away for a few moments before rolling his eyes and closing the door to the room. He scanned over the place, taking it all in before he left, although, he wouldn't be surprised if he was back into another room like this in the next 2 months or so, if he behaved that was. </p><p>A torn up bag with a big, poorly patched up, hole on the side and a broken zipper on one of the front pockets. There was also a necklace on the nightstand. It was made with cheap metal and chains. It had a small, broken in half, crystal dangling from the chain that looked like merely just some broken blue glass or something.</p><p>Tommy looked at it for a moment before heading over to the small drawer next to the bed. He pulled out enough clothes and stuffed them in the bag, leaving some out for him to get changed. He put on sweatpants and a red hoodie before grabbing the necklace and putting it on. He made sure to tuck it under the hoodie as to make sure it wouldn’t show before leaving the cramped up room. </p><p>The hallway was small but had enough room for three people to fill it's width. Doors were on each side of the hallway. They went to the other kid's rooms and he could hear faint talking of either kids or adults talking from them, or both. He couldn't bother to care enough so he strode along the narrow hallway till he was standing out of the door frame looking out at the large stairway. </p><p>He made his way down with louder footsteps than he had intended, getting looks from some of the people on the ground floor. Two people specifically caught his eye. One of them had long bright pink hair and glasses and looked to be able to destroy you in a fight with an obnoxious fashion sense, while the other looked thinner and more lanky. He also wore glasses but had short curly brown hair that had a lot of it tucked away in a red beanie. The pink haired one looked to be 18 or something while the other he couldn’t put a guess down on his age. He just figured he was a senior or somewhere around the other’s age.</p><p>Tommy didn't look at them for long before he was making his way to the bitch's office. </p><p>He opened the door a little too quickly before being able to stop himself and try to act somewhat polite in front of his new foster. </p><p>"He can be a bit of a trouble-" </p><p>The two inside of the room looked over to him before he could even think. The bitch sat in a chair behind a rushed looking cleaned desk and across from her sat a man with semi-long blonde hair with an identical shade of blonde beard. </p><p>"Sorry." he mumbled, shifting the weight on his feet as he stood in the doorway, like a deer in headlights. </p><p>The man seemed to look up at Tommy's hair before letting out a few quiet chuckles. Tommy realized he hadn't fixed his hair from it's bed-headed mess, making him want to curl up into himself. </p><p>The woman hummed softly before speaking up. "Come sit down Tommy." </p><p>He obliged and sat in the seat next to Phil. The man smiled at him but Tommy ignored him and looked to the ground, now absentmindedly fidgeting with his hoodie sleeve.</p><p>“It’s nice that you finally decided to join us, Tommy.“ The woman said, her voice sounding sickeningly pretend nice. </p><p>He stopped himself from retorting back by closing his eyes for a moment and letting out a silent exhale before humming softly in response. She gave him the slightest glance of acknowledgment before going back to Phil.</p><p>The woman gave a cough to clear her throat. “Do you have the paperwork that we sent through mail?” </p><p>“Yes, I do. I wasn’t-”</p><p>Tommy had stopped listening early on during the conversation. His eyes wandered around the room as the two talked. He drowned them out with his own uncollected thoughts, ranging from one topic to the other within seconds. </p><p>The room was small with a messy desk and a pinboard holding up various pictures of what he assumed to be friends and family of the woman. There was a plant behind the desk that Tommy was sure had died a while ago but she just kept watering the poor thing. Office drawers lined the wall closest to him and there were a few framed pictures on top of them following another nearly dead plant. He had been in that office enough times to remember the exact layout of the place. Including which drawer held files for him. </p><p>‘Here goes to another file for another failed foster family.’ He thought to himself bitterly. </p><p>“Tommy? Tommy!” </p><p>He snapped out of his thoughts with a jump as heard his name being called loudly from across the desk. He looked over to the woman to see her with an annoyed expression while the man held a patient curious one and was standing beside his chair.</p><p>“Pardon..?” He let out, straightening his sitting position in the process.</p><p>“It’s time for you to go.” The woman said annoyance hinting in her tone, something Tommy had grown used to. </p><p>“Right, sorry.” He said standing up and sliding his bag over his shoulder. </p><p>“If you need anything feel welcome to call.” She said, turning her attention to Phil and the annoyance leaving her voice. </p><p>“Of course.” Phil replied with a warm smile and shook her hand before turning to Tommy. “You ready, bud?”</p><p>He cringed mentally at the pet name before giving a curt nod.</p><p>He followed Phil out the door into the main area. The two he had seen before both looked up at them at the same time before the pink haired one stood up and walked over to them. </p><p>“C’mon Will!” Phil said, raising his voice slightly. The Burnette stood up slower than the pink haired one before following behind the group of three. They walked through the small parking lot at the back of the foster care center before stopping at a grey van. It was in pretty good shape but there was a noticeable dent on the hood of the car. </p><p>“That one’s Wilbur’s doing. When he first started driving he crashed it into a tree and this huge bird nest fell on top of the hood.” Phil said with a light chuckle. Tommy simply nodded and in the corner of his eye he saw Wilbur glance at him with an unreadable expression.</p><p>Tommy was slightly upset considering he had no idea the guy had two sons. Which to him meant two dickheads he would have to “get along with”. </p><p>“You can take the front seat, Tommy.” Phil said before taking his place at the wheel. Tommy sat himself down in the passenger seat not long after and tucked his trash of a bag underneath his feet. Tommy looked at Phil expectantly for a few moments till Phil noticed him and raised an eyebrow, still keeping that stupid smile on his face. His eyes lit up for a moment when he realized why he was looking at him like that. </p><p>“Oh, right! Uh, Tommy these are my sons, Techno and Wilbur.” Phil said pointing at the pink haired one first and then the Burnette. </p><p>“Hellooo.” Techno greeted with a monotone voice whereas Wilbur gave nothing but a glance at Tommy before going back to staring out the window. </p><p>‘Delightful.’ Tommy thought sarcastically to himself.</p><p>“It’s a bit of a drive, so it will most likely be dark by the time we get there.” Phil said reaching for the radio and turning it on. Some rock music from the 90s came on that he didn’t recognize. He wasn’t a fan of it but it wasn’t like he was gonna start complaining about the music with someone he had just met. Luckily tho, Will had suggested Phil to change it to something else and some type of Indie or Folk music came on. This was a lot more tolerable.</p><p>Tommy sunk into the seat, letting himself relax and turning his gaze to the now moving road beneath them. </p><p>“You can sleep if you want to, Tommy. You look really tired.” Phil said to him.</p><p>Tommy hadn’t expected this as he turned to look at Phil with a confused expression. He apparently noticed this because his expression became unreadable for a split second.</p><p>Tommy opened his mouth to say something before closing it again and giving an awkward timid nod before turning his gaze back to the townhouses passing by. </p><p>Out of the corner of his eye he saw himself in the car mirror. He had faint dark circles under his eyes and his eyes were squinted against the bright sunlight. His hair was a blonde mess with some of it sticking out here and there. In conclusion he looked like a tired mess, which, to be fair, he was. </p><p>He stole his gaze away from the mirror and back to the now thinning houses the grey van was passing. The adrenaline of meeting new people was leaving him and making it harder for him to keep his eyes open. The radio hummed in the background as he leaned his head back against the seat. Before he knew it he was asleep with his arms wrapped around himself.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wrote most of this at five in the morning and then the rest in class<br/>This is fine</p><p>weewoo</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Awkward Dinners and Empty Stomachs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>e</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>vent fic go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr</p><p>ayo, link to my other shit https://mrblueberry.carrd.co/</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tommy nearly yelped when he woke to a hand being placed on his shoulder. It came out as a startled grunt as he slithered out of the grasp and looked over to the owner of the hand. It was Phil, of course it was, and he wore a concerned surprised face.</p><p>“Hey hey, it’s okay. Sorry for startling you.” He said gently.</p><p>Tommy hadn’t even realized how tense he was until he began to take in his surroundings. He immediately noticed that he had squished himself against the van door in his efforts to get away from the man. </p><p>“I- yeah,,” He mumbled quietly, almost to the point to where you couldn’t hear him. </p><p>He noticed that the other two weren’t there with them. He looked out the front window to see Techno standing in front of the headlights looking at the two with a curious expression and a phone in his hand. Wilbur was nowhere to be seen, though. He figured the prick had already gone inside without them. </p><p>Phil had already stepped out of the car before him. He grabbed his bag from underneath his feet before the two before him. He was immediately met with the smell of pine, lake water, mud and what Tommy could only assume was moss or something along those lines.</p><p>The three of them made their way to the house. It was rather large with a balcony on the second floor and a large deck framing most of the front of the house. A large window sat in front of a few chairs, letting in a view of what looked to be the living room. A maroon colored door stood intimidatingly with parts of the paint chipping away to reveal a light colored wood beneath it.</p><p>Techno was the first through the door, Phil next, and Tommy last, following behind like a nervous puppy who was being dragged to the vet. He looked around the place with mild curiosity, mixing with a bit of admiration for the old looking vinyl. He saw the two take off their shoes once coming into the house and place them in a bin near the door. He hesitated before taking off his own and placing them about a foot from the bin.</p><p>Tommy walked behind them before the two headed through an archway going to a large enough kitchen. On the other side went to the room seen from the large window. It held a brick fireplace with a few photos and a large TV atop it. Wilbur was sitting with his legs up on a coffee table in a large L couch pressed against the corner of the room, like he didn’t give a shit about anything. An irrational annoyance began to grow in Tommy as he looked at the guy. He stole his attention away from Wilbur before he could notice him glaring at him.</p><p>Straight forward was an opening to a room with a large table in the middle and two doors on either side of the room, as well as a staircase next to the door on the left of the room. He had assumed the room on the other side had to be a bedroom. Probably Phil’s since parents always seem to have this weird niche of sleeping on the bottom floor.</p><p>“Welcome home, Tommy.” He heard Phil say behind him. He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the cheesy line he had heard from plenty of others who would only reveal to be a load of fake pricks a few weeks into living in a new home. He didn’t reply and in turn scanned the area around him only to find that Techno was either still in the kitchen or migrated to the living room, either way it didn’t because either one he couldn't see him.</p><p>“Your bedroom is upstairs and is the last door down the hallway. Go ahead and get yourself settled before we have dinner.” </p><p>Tommy simply nodded before making his way to the stairs. He cringed as the floorboards creaked loudly underneath his mismatching socks.</p><p>‘Definitely gotta learn to navigate this now..’ He thought to himself trying to make as little noise as possible and ultimately failing.</p><p>Once at the top of the stairs he saw a large room with a couch against the wall and some chairs here and there surrounding a coffee table. The light above was on though it was dim. It was the only light in the room besides the light from downstairs and that from the windows, which wasn’t much, giving it a sorta nostalgic vibe to it. It felt comforting.</p><p>Right across from the stairway was a door and an opening to a hallway that wasn’t lit up other than the light from the room before. He made his way to the hallway only to see two doors. One on the left and one on the right that was farther away. He had figured the farthest was his room, as of what Phil had said. </p><p>The door was a pain to open. It was loud like a dying bird and the door seemed to be stuck on something because it didn’t move for a solid five seconds before letting go of whatever was holding it back and making Tommy nearly fall. He stumbled forward catching himself before he could topple over. He mentally yelled at himself for being such a clutch, hoping that the three down stairs hadn’t heard him making a fool of himself.</p><p>Once he had regained himself and his dignity he was able to look at the room he was supposed to call “home” for the next few months. The room was cast in a ghostly shadow with light protruding from the two rectangular windows. There were two twin sized mattresses piled on top of each other in the corner of the room without a bed frame and a few blankets folded neatly on the dark grey sheet covering the top mattress. There was a desk on the other side of the room with two discolored chests sitting next to each other to which he could only guess was filled with whatever shit Phil’s two sons threw in there that they didn’t want or didn’t have space for.</p><p>There was a tall wardrobe next to a white door and on the other wall was a closet door like the ones you would see in a thrasher film where the character is looking through the blind-like-covering on it at the killer and then they end up doing something stupid like knocking something over and then getting killed. He had always hated those types of movies. The characters make the dumbest decisions and are like, “Oh no! Lemme just trip on air when somebody with a chainsaw is chasing me!”, if he ever saw one of them in real life he would slap them for being so frustratingly stupid.</p><p>He threw his bag over to the desk chair, nearly making it tip over with the force before making his way to the window near his new bed. The window let in a dimmed white light that showed in a slanted box on the scratchy carpet below. Tommy rested his hands on the dusty window sill as he looked out it's dirty glass. The room was hardly cleaned as it smelled like dust and stale water. </p><p>'There's probably a leak somewhere in the roof.' He thought to himself, letting out a soft hum at the thought. </p><p>Outside the window was a balcony with a flag that had a sports team or school team that he didn't know on it. It waved the slightest in the soft wind of the night. It was pretty out. Dark, but pretty. Like a wolf pack. Admirable from afar but dangerous when you're suddenly surrounded by it. He had always been fond of the night. It felt easier to conceal yourself from the world when it couldn’t see you or didn’t care for you. A small grin had worked his way to his lips before he was stolen from his thoughts from a shout from downstairs.</p><p>"Tommy, food’s here!!" </p><p>He had jumped when he heard the unexpected shout. He was surprised at how quick it had been but then realizing they must've ordered while he was passed out in the car.<br/>
He made his way back to the stairs, trying to keep himself as quiet as possible from habit. </p><p>At the bottom of the stairs he saw Wilbur sitting at the table with a plate of pizza and a cup of a piss colored liquid. He looked up when Tommy reached the bottom floor. The two’s eyes met for a split second before both looked away quickly. Tommy stood there for a second more, regretting every decision he had made in the past 5 seconds, before making his way to the kitchen where he could faintly hear Phil and Techno talking. </p><p>The two looked at him as he walked in. Two pizza boxes were on the counter behind them and Techno held a paper plate with two slices of pizza with pineapple on it. </p><p>‘Weird.’</p><p>“Ah- Tommy, there’s pepperoni and pineapple, choose whichever you want.” Phil said with a bite of pizza still in his mouth. Tommy hummed in response to show acknowledgement. He hadn’t noticed how hungry he was until now. He hadn’t eaten anything that day and was drained to the core despite sleeping through the long as hell drive to wherever he was now. He was bothered by the feeling of not having any idea where they were since he wasn’t able to see the stuff around him on the way there. If he wanted to escape the place for whatever reason he would probably just get himself lost in the woods, which, being stuck outside with whatever the fuck else was out there in complete darkness didn’t exactly sound that appealing to him.</p><p>He walked past Techno to the boxes, trying to stay as far away from him as much as possible and practically walking against the counter across from the obnoxiously bright pink haired guy.  </p><p>Techno hadn’t said a single thing since he had gotten in the room, or anything since they had gotten there. Anxiety started to prickle under his skin as he could feel Techno’s eyes on him as he got himself a few slices of the greasy cheese bread shaped into a poorly cut triangle. The soft buzzing of whirling thoughts quickly filled his head as he finally got his plate and wasn’t too sure if Techno was still looking at him or not.</p><p>“Do you like your room, Tommy?” </p><p>Phil’s voice cut through the blizzard of thoughts and looked over to Phil, confusion showing on his face but it was quickly taken back as he collected his thoughts back into something that wasn’t complete chaos.</p><p>He shrugged his shoulders and looked at the floor. He was aware Techno wasn’t looking at him anymore but he could hear another voice from somewhere near the arch. He quickly picked up that it was Wilbur’s.</p><p>“Mmm, y’know Wilbur originally wanted your room but gave it up after complaining about a nonexistent leak in the roof.” Phil said to Tommy with a voice of amusement, not phased by his lack of response. </p><p>“Phil, I think you’re just a blind old man.” Wilbur retorted back, although he held no malice in his tone as he sipped the piss colored liquid while leaning against the wooden arch frame, Techno beside him. </p><p>Phil rolled his eyes at him playfully before turning back to Tommy who stood leaning against the marble counter with two slices of untouched pizza on a cheap paper plate.<br/>
“I hope you can make yourself at home here.”</p><p>“Thank you..” Tommy mumbled quietly. </p><p>“Like he’ll stay here that long.” Scoffed the brunette from where he stood.</p><p>“Wilbur,” The other beside him started but was quickly cut off.</p><p>“What? You saw how the kid was this morning.” </p><p>“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Tommy snarled, his voice raspy from not talking much that day. </p><p>“Ah yes, loud stomping and awful manners really shows a delightful personality.” Wilbur replied sarcastically. Tommy had to admit, Wilbur had a point, and he couldn’t care less about if he stayed here or not, nor did he really want to put up with acting the whole goody two shoes act and the “I’m just a sad little kid” act here, but despite that the prick still pissed him off by a few measly sentences.</p><p>“Wil, that’s enough.” Phil’s voice spoke out loudly and sternly. Tommy was practically fuming. He had dealt with foster parents’ kids like Willbur before but it didn’t stop him from getting pissed off. It could’ve been because of his lack of sleep and food but at that moment he didn’t care. </p><p>“Tommy, please go upstairs.” Phil said more calmly to him, although the sternness never left his tone.</p><p>“I-” He was about to argue back but decided against it as of seeing Phil’s expression. He knew the expression too well to argue back. He simply nodded in response, before realizing his slightly shaky hands. He set down the untouched plate of pizza that was partially crumpled up due to Wilbur agitating him, before awkwardly making his way to the arch, glaring at Wilbur as he passed him. </p><p>The moment he had gotten to the stairway he heard the two going at each other. He cringed at the tried-to-be quiet arguing as he started up the stairs. He stopped at the top for some reason he didn’t know before sitting down on the loft next to the stairs and listening in to their conversation. He could barely make out what they were saying since they were trying to be quiet but he could just hear them enough to understand what they were talking about.</p><p>“-Wilbur, I’m sorry that you’re upset but don’t take it out on him. He only just got here, give him time.”</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry that the moment Techno gets out of the house you immediately adopt another kid, and that I’m upset about it?”</p><p>“It’s not like that, Wilbur. You know it’s not like that.” Phil’s voice cut off into a sigh. “The kid didn’t have a home, nor has he for the past 7 years. I couldn’t just let him be stuck there.”</p><p>“Well, how would you even know about the kid if you weren’t looking?”</p><p>Tommy let his eyes close and his head tilt back as he started to drown the two out. He had heard this conversation before, but couldn’t place a finger on which family it was, he usually never paid attention to them as he moved families so quickly. </p><p>It was one of his least favorite conversations to hear. The whole talk on how he was this bothered kid without a home and the other being upset about bringing in this new person when things already weren’t the best or that he would just be a burdeness child there. He couldn’t blame them because he was a burdeness child.</p><p>His eyes shot open as he felt footsteps next to him. He was immediately met with the sight of the pink haired one towering over him with an apologetic look on his face. </p><p>“Sorry about,,, y’know. Wilbur can be a bit of an-”</p><p>“Asshole?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Techno said sheepishly. He stood far enough away for Tommy to have space but the fact that the guy was still standing over him made Tommy feel uneasy. He quickly stood up so he was standing up next to him. </p><p>“He’ll be like that for a while, but it’ll get better. He’s just not in the best of places right now.”<br/>
Tommy nodded, avoiding eye contact with the other.</p><p>The two stood in awkward silence for a few more seconds before Tommy spoke again. </p><p>“Ah well, I should probably get some sleep then.” Tommy said, gesturing that he needed to get by him.</p><p>“Oh, yeah sorry, of course. Night.” Techno said looking at his gesture confused at first before it clicked in his brain that he was blocking the kid’s way and quickly stepped out of it.</p><p>“Mmmnight.” Tommy hummed before hurriedly heading to his new room.</p><p>He opened the door to the dim-lit room again only to quickly step inside and quickly shut it closed behind him. He let out a strained sigh as he leaned his back against the wooden door.</p><p>“Living here is going to be great.” He mumbled to himself, letting himself look at the room around him again. He wasn’t tired to the point he could fall asleep but he was tired to the point of not wanting to do anything other than to sit or lay down and just think. So that’s exactly what he did.</p><p>The smell of the room was already awful as hell so he made his way to the door on the other side of the room. Upon opening it he was immediately met with the humid summer air mixed in with various different scents, too many to identify but it was calming that way. He stepped out onto the light colored wood of the balcony, thankful to it not creaking and making his life more of a living hell. He quietly shut the door behind him before making his way to the railing. He leaned his arms against it, the wooden and partially metal railing giving way slightly but staying firm to the base. </p><p>The trees were a black painted against the starry sky that covered the world around him like a blanket. The moon was raised high in the sky, shining a dim light on the ground below it and illuminating Tommy’s frame. Crickets and the night wind filled the area around the house with peaceful noises, something Tommy longed for. He felt at peace despite the flurry of anxiety and awkwardness that had erupted from outside the world Tommy had entered upon stepping out onto the peaceful balcony. </p><p>He stayed like that for a while, just soaking in the peace mixed in with the thoughts that crossed his mind as he stood there gazing out at the beauty that was before him and eventually finding himself sitting against that wood railing, his head resting on his forearms as they sat atop his knees before slowly succumbing to sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this was a pain in the ass to write lmao<br/>I was sick for like 3 days straight and couldn't focus on writing because brain go wack but that isn't anything new so fhjsfhjdsfhjdskj<br/>head in hands<br/>I hate writing dialogue so much hhhhhhhhhhhh<br/>is it 2AM when I finished editing this chapter and posted it? noooooooooooooooooo idk what you meaaaaaaannn</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Run to a Shitty Mall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>yes</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>fucking pain<br/>this took me 2 weeks to write wth</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tommy woke to sweat running down the side of his face and muffled loud knocking filling his head. He stood up quickly. Too quickly. The sudden movement made his head lighten and his eyes go blurry. He ended up leaning against the balcony wall before he could topple over on himself. He let the blurriness settle into something that wouldn’t end with him eating the wooden flooring of the balcony below before going back into the musty smelling room he had only been in for a short amount of time the day prior. He mentally swore at whoever was behind the door as the knocking was even more louder and obnoxious inside.</p><p>He swung the door open to find a disheveled Techno with a look of startlement on his face and a hand raised to knock on the apparently thin door that used to be before him.<br/>“Breakfast, downstairs.” The pinkette said simply after regaining his dignity after being startled.</p><p>Tommy hummed in response, no words wanting or needing to escape his mouth. Techno didn’t say anything else, much to Tommy’s pleasure, and walked off down the hall without waiting for the blonde.</p><p>He waited till he heard Techno’s footsteps going down the stairs before following behind, his footsteps a lot louder than Techno’s without him even trying. <br/>The smell of eggs made its way to Tommy before he was even on the first floor. He made his way across the empty dining room and saw the edge of Wilbur’s foot from the hallway between the living room and kitchen. He decided to ignore the taller’s presence before making his way into the kitchen. Techno stood next to a large black fridge with a cup of coffee and a napkin in his hand, for whatever reason. It wasn’t like Tommy was gonna ask him about the napkin, so he didn’t care for it. Phil was nowhere to be seen, which made Tommy slightly uncomfortable considering the fact he had no idea the two other people in the house even existed till yesterday. He didn’t comment on it though, not wanting to make things harder than it already was to meet them.  One of the first things he noticed once coming into the room was a plate of scrambled eggs and a fork sitting on the island and a thing of salt and pepper beside it. He sat down timidly before digging in. The pain in his stomach from hunger slowly subsided as he began to eat. He hadn’t even noticed it when he woke up, probably due to his lack of sleep. Speaking of which. He looked up at the clock that was hanging in the room and saw the small handle between the seven and eight. He had no idea what time he had fallen asleep last night but he was sure that it was late by the way his body protested his awakeness and how his eyes begged to close.<br/>Tommy looked up slightly from the now half eaten eggs as Techno finished the cup of coffee and left the room. He began to eat again, curious, but not enough to care, before Techno was back in no time with a pair of shoes on and Tommy’s shoes held in one hand. He walked over to a confused Tommy and placed the pair of shoes on the floor beside him. </p><p>“We’re going out to the store.” Techno said with a monotone voice.</p><p>“Why?” Tommy interjected, a pinch of defensiveness in his voice.</p><p>“To get you shit, and to pick up some stuff from the market for Phil, and his weird obsession with tiny winged shits.” Came a voice just outside of the archway. </p><p>Tommy turned his head to see Wilbur standing there, an expression that only read pissed off and tired. The face only made him hate the guy even more than he already did from their first impression. Although now he was easier to see since the sun's rays illuminated the room with nearly blinding light. </p><p>“What the hell are “tiny winged shits”?” Tommy asked, glaring at the prick.</p><p>Wilbur ignored his question and disappeared behind the wall again. </p><p>“Chickens.” Techno said simply, leaving Tommy to only awkwardly nod in response.</p><p>Tommy finished the plate of eggs quickly before shoving the already tied shoes that he had gotten from Walmart, on and followed Techno out of the house to the porch outside where Wilbur stood.</p><p>The house looked a lot different in the daylight, and now Tommy could see that the house was painted a light blue and the porch was a greyish wood that creaked loudly when you stepped on it.</p><p>The three walked over to a discolored truck that Tommy hadn’t even noticed until now with rust on the bottom and a mirror missing from the passenger door. The thing looked ancient and most likely was. Wilbur hopped into the passenger seat and Techno took the driver's seat, leaving Tommy in the back, much to his dismay. The first thing he noticed as he got in was the smell of the thing. It smelled like a mix of dust, mulch, and animals that he couldn’t place a finger on to what species but it sure as he made him recoiled at the strong smell of it, covering his nose with the hem of his shirt to try and block it out. Wilbur and Techno didn’t seem phased by it, making Tommy scowl at the two.<br/>Without a word they pulled out of the driveway. It wasn’t long till Wilbur put on the radio to some folk music he had never heard before. You were barely able to hear it over the sound of the truck dying as it made its way across the black pavement that made everything even more warmer than it needed to be. The windows were open as well and it made his hair go in all sorts of directions. He tried to fix it but failed miserably and gave up. In the corner of his eye he was sure he saw Wilbur, for at least a split second, looking at him with an amused look on his face. </p><p>He wanted to punch him for it but it would probably lead them to crash and he wouldn- actually, he probably wouldn’t care if they crashed or not. <br/>After endless trees and a few houses here and there the trees started to thin out and a town became viewable. Just by the looks of it the place looked old. Like one of those tourist attractions that would be labeled “Ghost Town”, or whatever bullshit made a few bucks. A few shops, gas stations, and houses lined the pitiful main street of the town. A few kids played on the pavement dangerously near the road and their supposed parents were off chatting it off with some other adults. </p><p>“What great parents they are, dickheads.”</p><p>“What, Tommy?”</p><p>He whipped his head to look at the two in front of him, realizing he had said that out loud. Wilbur was looking at him with a confused look on his face and another expression he couldn’t read.</p><p>“Ah- sorry, talking out loud.” He said sheepishly, trying his best to push down the rise of heat in his cheeks at the sudden embarrassment.<br/>“Mmalright.” Wilbur hummed the word before turning away from him again.</p><p>Techno gave him a slight glance with a bland expression on his face before turning his eyes back to the road. He felt like curling in on himself in that moment, shrinking in on himself and looking down at his hands from the embarrassment. </p><p>They turned into a parking lot for, what looked like, a small mall. A few shops that were common were on the outside of it, and a large sign with the town's name on it. They parked in the nearly empty parking lot and stepped out.</p><p>“I’ll get the stuff Phil needs. Wilbur, you can help Tommy get what he needs.” Techno spoke, practically ignoring Tommy’s existence in that moment.</p><p>“What?! I don’t wanna deal with taking the kid to get shit!” Wilbur immediately argued back, an annoyed look painted on his face.</p><p>“Well are you going to carry three bags of chicken food and a box full of 10 of the tiny velociraptors?” </p><p>Wilbur opened his mouth to argue back but in no time closed it and glared at Techno.</p><p>“Exactly. Now go to Old Navy or something and get the kid some cloths.” Techno said before walking off.</p><p>“Fucking hell,” Wilbur mumbled softly with an exhale of breath. “Alright come on.” He said to Tommy, his voice frustrated and tired, before walking off to the front doors of the empty seeming mall.</p><p>Tommy followed behind him. He regretted not changing before coming out because he was now slightly sweating due to the heat, plus the sidewalk feeling like burning coals under his protected feet.</p><p>Wilbur didn’t waste a single second to wait for him as he was far ahead of Tommy as he made his way into the building. Catching a sight of Wilbur taking a turn left at the end of the opening hallway of the mall, He half-ran half-speed-walked to catch up with him, coming short a few feet behind him. Wilbur proceeded to ignore his existence till the two got to a store with a name he didn’t recognize. </p><p>“Get whatever the fuck you want, just don’t make it too pricey.” Wilbur said to him, not looking at him for even a split second, before making his way to the cashier who perked up at seeing him.</p><p>Tommy watched him walk off, glaring at him, before stuffing his hands into his pockets and letting himself scan his eyes over the indie type clothing store he was in. A soft hum escaped his lips as he made his way to the t-shirt area.</p><p>He was never one to care much about the way he looked, so the array of different shirts in front of him didn’t partically spark any interest in him. He grabbed a few shirts of different colors that looked tolerable and made his way to the other side of the shop. He heard the faint voice of Wilbur and the cashier talking. He figured the two were friends as the two were smiling. He rolled his eyes at them before turning his attention to the clothes that were now in front of him. </p><p>He had no idea really what to get himself, since he barely ever had to buy stuff for himself that would be aesthetically pleasing. He resorted to just getting some bland tee’s, sweat pants, and shorts before heading over to the cashier with the small-ish load of clothing in his arms.</p><p>Wilbur turned to look at him, his expression immediately dropping to an annoyed look despite being cheerful and relaxed a few seconds ago. <br/>“Ah- Wil, is this your new foster brother?” The girl behind the counter spoke. She had pink hair and a soft voice. </p><p>“More like a nuisance that I’ll have to deal with on a daily basis.” Wilbur said with a scoff.</p><p>“Hey! Don’t be rude!” She scolded Wilbur before turning to Tommy. “Sorry about him. Tom, is it?”</p><p>“Tommy.” The blonde corrected her. </p><p>“Alright, you can put the stuff on the counter.” She told him, clicking at the cashier in front of her. He obliged and fridgetted with his hands as she marked away the clothing he had picked out.</p><p>“56.94.”</p><p>He cringed at the price and stood still as Wilbur paid for the load.</p><p>“Thanks Niki, see ya later.” </p><p>“Bye Wil, bye Tommy!” Niki said as the two headed to the exit of the shop. Without hesitation Wilbur shoved the bags in Tommy’s hands once they were out of the store and proceeded down the nearly deserted hallway without a second glance at Tommy. He glared after the tall jackass as he struggled to get a hold of the bags and not drop all of them. Wilbur was almost gone again when he finally got the shit situated and had to run again to catch up with him. </p><p>He caught a glimpse of brown hair just before it disappeared behind another corner in a four way space. He jogged after the glimpse of hair, the bags he was holding hitting against his legs. He nearly ran into the person as he turned the corner, realizing it wasn’t Wilbur before it was too late. The man in front of him, much older looking  than Wilbur, gave  him an annoyed glare and a short, “Watch it, kid.” Before heading the way he was before. He let out a short sorry before heading back to the four way. Tommy had always hated the name “kid”, it always felt like the person saying it to him or in reference to him thought of him as this small child who was nothing but a nuisance. </p><p>He stood near the entrance he had just gone through as he examined the hallways around him. He didn’t see Wilbur anywhere. It didn’t surprise him that the prick left him alone here and he would be fine with it if knew the fucking layout of the place.</p><p>“Are you new here?”</p><p>Tommy jumped violently at the newfound voice and whipped his head around to it so fast it hurt his neck. He cringed at the sudden pain and a hand flew up on instinct to the place it was hurting.</p><p>The owner of the voice had an innocent like voice and was a short brown haired kid about the same age as himself and stood behind the counter of a small pizzeria he hadn’t even noticed until now, to which must’ve been a miracle because the smell of the pizzeria was strong as hell.</p><p>“I- pardon?” He stuttered out, cringing at the weak voice that came out of his mouth. </p><p>“I’ve never seen you around here, and either you were homeschooled or you’re new here.”</p><p>“Ah-“</p><p>“So which one is it?” The kid said without giving Tommy a chance to speak.</p><p>Tommy stood there awkwardly, contemplating telling the kid the truth or not. Or at least the small amount of truth he’ll give out. He sure didn’t want to tell a complete stranger that he’s a foster kid and this was his first day in the small town.</p><p>“I’m new here.” He said simply, avoiding any mention of the reason why.</p><p>“Okay, well I’m Toby, but most people call me Tubbo. Where were you before?” The kid asked, a smile now present on his face.</p><p>“What kind of name is Tubbo?“ Tommy blurted out before he could stop himself, disregarding the question that was asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I don’t know where it came from but people just started calling me it at random.“ Tubbo said with a small awkward chuckle.</p><p>“Do you work here?” Tommy asked, indicating to the pizzeria the other was standing in.</p><p>“No, I’m just standing here for no reason.” Tubbo said, extending his arms to emphasize it</p><p>“Oh-“ Tommy replied puzzled, clearly not picking up on the sarcasm in Tubbo’s words. To which the burnette let out a laugh that sounded like he was struggling to breathe. </p><p>“I was being sarcastic!“ He said through laughs. </p><p>Tommy’s face immediately grew to a soft shade of pink as embarrassment settled over him, the defensiveness building up in his chest before spewling out random accusations and swears. Tubbo didn’t seem much phased by it though as he laughed on.</p><p>“You’re hilarious!” Tubbo said as his laughs began to grow calmer. </p><p>An involuntary small smile began to form on Tommy’s face. He opened his mouth to say something but didn’t get the chance to as a voice behind him loudly called his name.</p><p>“Tommy! Jesus christ, could you at least not get fucking lost, it’s not that hard to follow someone and not end up in fucking narnia.” The tall brunette appeared from the hallway across from Tommy, the annoyance on his face showing even more in the moment. Tommy's small smile switched to an annoyed defensive one quicker than the speed of light at the sight of the prick.</p><p>“Well, sorry that you walk like you’re in the fucking speed walking Olympics.” Tommy snapped back.</p><p>“What do you mean?! There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to keep up with me.”</p><p>“I mean exactly what I said! You walk too fucking fast!”</p><p>An awkward cough interrupted the two’s bickering from the other side of the room.</p><p>Wilbur finally seemed to acknowledge Tubbo’s presence as he turned to him, his expression changing swiftly to a nicer one within seconds.</p><p>“Ah- Tubbo, sorry didn’t see you there.”</p><p>“Tis alright. Uh, do you two know each other?” </p><p>“Unfortunately yes, but we actually have to go. Right, Tommy?” Wilbur said to the shorter, emphasizing on the unfortunately unnecessarily and giving Tommy a side glare at the last bit.</p><p>Tommy rolled his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing. “Yeah, totally gonna love hanging out with you.” He said, sarcasm coating his voice. </p><p>Wilbur glared at him one final time before heading down the hallway he had come from. Tommy reluctantly followed, giving a half wave and a “see ya” to Tubbo on his way out of the four way.</p><p>Wilbur didn’t seem to slow one bit as he led the way through the wide hallways with carpet flooring and a few shops lining the walls. Most being shut down.<br/>He headed into a shop with black walls and shelves with plants and rocks on them that probably meant something that Tommy had no clue about or cared enough to know about. The shop smelled of candles, soil and water. Which wasn’t a bad smell, it was just a bit overwhelming.</p><p>Tommy stood in the entrance looking at the collection of shit that only managed to confuse him till he saw Wilbur looking through the various plants on one shelf. He made his way over to him, keeping enough distance between each other but close enough to see what the twat was looking at.</p><p>The brunette grabbed a plant with a rich smell that he couldn’t remember what it was called but the smell of it was familiar enough, as well as a plant with small white flowers surrounded by green leaves. He handed one to Tommy before heading off to another side of the store. Tommy followed like a lost puppy, despite the confused and still hostile look he pointed towards the other. </p><p>Wilbur grabbed two boxes from a shelf before turning to Tommy expectantly. </p><p>“What?” Tommy asked, his voice sounding more defensive than questioning.</p><p>“I- nothing.” Wilbur said before making his way to the cashier, laying the two boxes and plant he held down on the counter, Tommy following suit. <br/>It didn’t take long for the two to get out of there. Wilbur walking fast again and Tommy struggling to catch up behind him. </p><p>‘Why the hell does this fucker walk so fast?’ Tommy thought to himself as he jogged to catch up with Wilbur. He had the bags of clothing held up by the straps on the inner part of his arm and the plant he held in both of his hands. </p><p>He eventually got up to Wilbur and was walking beside him. </p><p>“So mind telling me what the hell this shit is?”</p><p>“I dunno, Phil said to get you these two specific plants.” Wilbur said seemingly uninterested.</p><p>“Which are?”</p><p>“Jasmine and Peppermint.”</p><p>This information didn’t help Tommy in the slightest, he would probably look up the plant names to find out what was so special about them. The two made their way to the parking lot. Tommy swore under his breath as Wilbur shut the door on him and he ended up struggling with it for a solid 30 seconds as Wilbur stood with an amused look on his face.</p><p>“Shut it.” Tommy snapped at the taller as he made his way to the outside of the mall despite Wilbur having not said anything. </p><p>The two made their way across the sea of scorching pavement of the empty parking lot to the old truck on the other side of the place, much to Tommy’s dismay. Pink hair quickly came into view as they neared closer to the truck, the guy coming out from behind the thing not long afterwards and noticed the two approaching. </p><p>The pinkette seemed to be tired and Tommy began to wonder what the hell he was doing while the other two were stuck in the maze of the mall that was now behind them. Techno was holding a weird looking box and was heading straight towards Tommy. He stopped in front of the blonde and held the box in one arm and held an arm to Tommy, waiting expectantly. He raised an eyebrow at the pinkette, confused on whatever the fuck the guy expected of him.</p><p>“Your stuff.”</p><p>Tommy was still confused for a few seconds before it finally clicked in his brain. “Oh, right.” Tommy stuttered out, struggling to give the stuff in his hands to Techno before having the box shoved into his arms.</p><p>Techno left him standing there without a word before heading back to the truck Wilbur was already in. He put the stuff that was in Tommy’s arms previously in the back where Tommy was supposed to sit. </p><p>He was about to say something to the ass, probably something along the lines of swear filled questioning before being stopped by sudden chirping and nearly dropping the box he was holding in surprise. </p><p>He collected himself quickly and peered into the holes of the box he was holding, barely getting a glimpse of a small bird, or birds judging on the plentiful chirps that were escaping the box now. </p><p>He was shell shocked to say the least at the realization of what small creatures he was holding, his thought process being cut in half as Wilbur shouted for him again.<br/>“Let’s go, we don’t have all day!” </p><p>He rolled his eyes at him before making his way to the truck, being careful not to disturb the animals he was in possession of. </p><p>Techno gave him as simple as a side glance once he was settled in the backseat again before starting the truck again. It screeched to life before they headed out of the mall parking lot.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this chapter was shit but take it anyways because I'm tired</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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